WA Govt to fund energy consumer advocacy activities

May 10, 2019

The Western
Australian Government has allocated $900,000 over three years to support energy
consumer advocacy in Western Australia.

The funding will be used to employ a
specialist energy consumer advisor specialist at the Public Utilities Office,
and provide financial support for advocacy on energy affordability and pricing
and consumer representation.

Western Australians will be adequately
represented in the policy landscape as the McGowan Government works to deliver
affordable, reliable and clean energy.

The funding will support research that strengthens the focus on better outcomes for residential energy consumers, including those on concessions and experiencing hardship, and customers in rural and regional areas.

It will help build the state’s energy sector
representation within local consumer advocacy organisations such as the Western
Australian Council of Social Service and the Financial Counsellors’ Association
of Western Australia.

WA Energy Minister Bill Johnston says the $900,000 of funding allocated in the 2019-20 State Budget will create consumer representation focused on the needs of Western Australian energy consumers.

“Increasing support for energy consumer advocacy will not only deliver benefits for Western Australians but also provide important insights into the energy market, and help develop informed regulatory decisions and policies,” Mr Johnston says.

“The McGowan Government’s Energy
Transformation Strategy will help minimise the costs of the transition to
renewable energy technologies; the Distributed Energy Resources Roadmap will be
released by the end of 2019.”